Hey everyone,
This story is going great and while it may not have the most views or visitors of all my stories, am I still very proud of the fact that a story revolving such an old-school category is still doing pretty well as Yami's and Hikari's has been growing in the amount of visitors ever since July, which is when I started my monthly update schedule.
Also, I just want to let you all know that, while the symbol might be Japanese, did I base the price that is written down a little further ahead based on what this product might cost in my country. Oh, and the upcoming antagonist is actually based on a protagonist from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, which can make me only say 1 thing:
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I don't own the character or his design. I only own his history as it is very much different from the history of the Pokémon protagonist and it might also be so that his eye-color is different as I don't fully remember the design of this Pokémon character, so it might be just his hair color that will be the same.
That all clear? Good,

Venquine1990

Chapter 14
Domino City

Marik's POV

I feel just so happy that I got to make this deal with Malik. After three months of my body having been stuck in the same position, is it now such a relief and enjoyment to be able to move freely again and showing Malik the town allows for all of my muscles to get a good chance to move around again, which is kind of why I did this.
Tristan had been willing to drive us to the middle of the town's center, yet had declined my offer to come with us, saying he'd rather not be there if Malik lost control of his crazy side and while Yugi had asked me if I could make it to the stadium in two hours for his finals match, had Imay then quickly gone to take him home.
Malik, during the ride from Tristan, had been gazing out the window of the simple four-door car the entire ride, his eyes wide and the excitement that runs through our bond makes me slightly worried about doing this now as it's obvious that staying inside the Millennium Rod during Chemistry did nothing to calm him down.

We then arrive at downtown and I whisper to Tristan: "Don't worry, I'll keep Malik away from the arcade, just for today. With the excitement running through him right now – well, let's hope that Yugi's match will help him calm down soon." Tristan nods and wishes me good luck before rolling up his window and riding off.
"So, where do we start, Hikari-Pretty?" Malik then asks and I think: "First things first, I need to get rid of that nickname." And while I take his hand, do I decide to start small and ask: "Malik, can you promise me something?" The Egyptian looks at me and while hoping with all I am that he will agree to this, do I ask:

"Well, you are – like – my first ever boyfriend and – ehm – I'm as new to all this as you are, so – could we, like, take it slow and – well, could you promise me to only call me by that nickname when our friends are around? I – I just feel a little more confident about – you know, us if you could do that for me."
The Egyptian keeps looking at me, worrying me as we just walk down the pathway of the city and then he just shrugs and says: "Sure, but – what do I call you when we're not around our friends? Just – just Marik?" I nod and to my great relief, does the Spirit look forward and say: "Sure, I can do that. Anything to make you happy."

This makes me smile at him and then I spot something that reminds me both of the last few hours we have been spending together and gives me an idea and I say: "Hold on a minute, Malik, I think I came up with something you can do while I'm in class. A way for you to understand why classes are so important to me."
"Really? You found something?" Malik asks and when he looks at me with happy excitement, do I sincerely hope I won't let him down as I lead him into a bookstore at the other side of the road and when the boy looks around confused, do I say: "We can try and find a book that you do look to read. Is that okay?"
I ask in slight trepidation at the end and while the spirit looks around with strange intrigue on his face does he then say: "Sure, but well – are there any books in Egyptian in here?" And after a second of digesting what he just asked, do I feel like hitting myself on my head as I realize that the chance for that is barely scarce to none.

Yet, after wanting to do so, do I instantly come up with another solution and say: "Eeeeh, probably not. However, I'm sure this store has plenty and plenty of books with large pictures in them that can help you understand what is being written about." To which, to my relief, the Yami says: "Really? There are? That's brilliant!"
And after searching a couple of aisles have Malik and I found some books we both like, me going the extra mile by getting books of subjects that I like that also have said pictures to give Malik a chance to learn about my interest and the warm loving hug I got for that had made me feel more proud of myself than I ever thought I'd feel.

We then leave the store and happily move further downtown, Malik smiling at me as we walk and then my eye spots something else that makes me sure we can make this day even better and I ask: "Hey Malik, I know you can be a hothead when you want to be, but how about trying something that is both cold and very, very good?"
To this the boy looks at me with a raised eyebrow and asks: "You mean – never mind!" He suddenly ends with a shout and it takes me a second to realize what he wanted to say, making me turn beet red and put one hand in the back of my neck before I mutter: "Ehm, no. That – ehm – I – I didn't mean it – like that."
The Egyptian nods, a bit of flush hidden under his tan, making me want to smile as it proves that he feels bad for making the comment and then we reach my destination and I stop him before addressing the man behind the counter and, going on instinct, do I say: "Two bowls of vanilla with chocolate chip ice cream, please."

The man nods, while Malik is now looking at the glass case with fourteen different bowls in front of us with a confused look on his face, yet through the mental link we share, do I just whisper: "Just trust me, this is a world-famous snack. Everyone on the planet likes it." Which excites the male and then the man says:
"That will be ¥3,30, good sir." I pay him the money and while Malik looks confused and intrigued at the money that passes from my hand to that of the salesman, do I then take the two small bowls with white ice cream that is littered and covered with chocolate chips and hand him one of them as I say: "Just a head's up, it's cold."
The Egyptian looks at the little bowl in his hand to me, but I smile, take a small colored plastic spoon from the counter, Malik following my lead with an intrigued smile on his face as he takes the spoon himself and while some of the other customers look at my Yami strangely do we continue our walk down the road.

Malik, however, just keeps looking from the spoon to his ice cream and after a few bites, do I say: "You better hurry, Malik, or it will all melt.""This stuff is good, but it can melt? Does that mean it goes bad if it melts?" I shake my head and say: "No, it still tastes good when molten, it's just better when not."
The Egyptian nods and then follows my lead, looking at me as we both spoon a small bite out of the bowl and take it, my taste buds singing as they enjoy the flavor of the vanilla and chocolate chip ice cream, yet the first thing that Malik does after biting down, is stop, his eyes wide before he suddenly shouts: "WOW! This is really good!"
And while I turn slightly red, do I still smile at him and say: "It's ice-cream. I – I just wasn't sure which flavors you would like, so I went for the most common one." The Egyptian, however, seems too intrigued by how good the ice-cream is as he hums in delight before asking: "This is seriously good stuff, can we get more?"
And while hating how this will probably make him sad, do I say: "No, sorry, but – I only had enough for the ice-cream. The rest of my money's still at home." The Egyptian pouts at hearing this and asks: "So – can we get more tomorrow?" And while wondering how someone can get addicted to ice-cream so quick, do I then say:

"We can, if you want to get fat quick." The Yami looks shocked and I say: "Ice Cream is made of milk, certain flavors and quite a lot of sugar that, when not taken out of the system by extensive exercise, can easily make someone fat if they take more than is actually good for them, such as multiple bowls a week."
And while silently blessing the fact that my sister allowed me to help her in the museum for the last few years, does Malik look at me shocked before he says: "Wow, that sounded really smart. How – how did you know that?" And while feeling relieved, do I answer with a teasing smile on my face: "I learned it at school."

Yet while Malik catches onto my little joke and laughs before wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me further downtown, is our enjoyment together almost as short lived as the time it takes us to eat our ice-cream and throw the bowls away as after passing another corner, do we run into yet another person I don't want to see.
This person is a boy with styled bluish black and who has a pair of such dark blue eyes that they look back in certain lights and if there is one thing all of my friends and I agree on it's that the boy's dark hair and eye color really fit his cold-hearted personality, especially because he has a bigger ego than both Anamia and Claire together.
To make matters even worse is this boy also one of Claire's actual friends and only because Claire has been wanting to get on Yugi's good side and leech off his fame, has the boy let off on us for some time, yet I know that now that Yugi and I are officially together with someone who is not Claire, the boy will go all out again.

And indeed, I get proven right as the arrogant boy smirks at seeing me and then says: "Look guys, it's the brat who's boyfriend has so much hair it squashed his brain to death." And while Malik, who looks all but threatening with a plastic spoon in his mouth, tilts his head interested confusion, do I just sigh and say: "Leave us be, Arthur."
But while I want to pull Malik to walk on between him and his friends, does the boy snap his fingers, which makes the two boys stand in such a position that they now form a wall blocking our path, making me grind my teeth in annoyance, while the boy smirks and says: "Ahem, no, I don't think I will, you little scarab."
And while I just roll my eyes and look away from him because of his lame excuse of an insult, does Malik smile and say: "Yeah, he is a pretty scarab, isn't he? All golden and sweet and pretty?" And while this embarrasses me, does it also make me feel amused as it actually startles both Arthur and his two friends.

Yet the boy recovers from his shock quicker than I would have liked and says: "Yeah, he has no brain, that's obvious. He has no brains and – well, you have no talent." This confuses me and seems to make Malik finally realize that we are being insulted, yet I decide to bite to his bait and ask: "What are you on about, Arthur?"
And while this makes me wonder if the boy planned this meeting taking place here as he motions for a large poster showing on a billboard to my left and the boy's right and when I look, do I see that the poster is advertising the upcoming Talent show that our school is planning to hold in the gym in about three weeks from now.
This makes me frown and I ask: "Why would someone like you be interested in a talent show like that? You, Anamia and Claire never even came to the shows of the last two years." To this the boy shrugs and says: "We didn't have a reason. This year, Claire and Anamia told me, there might actually be something for us to gain."

This makes the instincts I have been growing ever since Malik left me ring like mad, yet I can't help but myself and ask: "What are you on about?" And while his friends keep their positions with their arms crossed over their chests, does Arthur hand me a letter, which already smells like Anamia and while cringing, do I read.

I, … hereby accept that the upcoming talent show will be used to decide who will be the boy/girl friend of Malik/Imay for the rest of their time at Domino High and, if both parties so agree, for years to come.

"So, you willing to put your one day bond on the line for a real romance?" Arthur asks, yet I barely hear him as I have never felt angrier than I do now, not even when I wanted my body back from Malik's control and I rip the whole paper into a thousand pieces, Arthur looking at me shocked and I hiss at him:
"There is absolutely no deal, Clesterfield, but I can assure you. Yugi, Ryou and I will meet you on that stage and you will see why my family is ancient, why Ryou is loved for his character and why Yugi deserves his fame and most importantly – why it's Ryou, Yugi and I who were chosen by Bakura, Imay and Malik.
See you there." And while hoping with all that I am that Yugi's duel can help me calm down, do I forcefully push myself past the idiot boy that were standing beside Arthur and storm around the corner and down the rest of the walkway, Malik following me, a look of happy pride on his face that helps me calm down – somewhat.

Wow, that happened!
Okay, so in Ashrai1's sequel named The School Theatre, the gang were forced to take part in a school musical and in my story, some random idiot made Marik enter his friends into an actual talent show. Like I said, this story is inspired by his two stories and I just wanted to add a way for the boys to show a special talent.
One that isn't duel-monsters,

Venquine1990
PS. HAPPY NEW YEAR!